Champlain College | Champlain Abroad

I had met with a former Champlain alumni, who told me that going abroad was probably one of the reasons they were the most prepared to go into the game industry. They had worked hard, and gotten a very strong job after graduation, and attributed much of the success to the cultural enrichment. I had also heard from others that Montreal was a great opportunity to explore what city life is like. It could be a right fit for me. Champlain had done a good job getting me interested, and I had heard nothing but good reviews from those who went.

I was inspired by people who had already studied abroad and by all the stories I've read and seen about study abroad experiences. It was also a huge factor hearing from people who hadn't gone abroad, wishing that they had. My sister was a big influence as I got to hear her stories all the time from when she went abroad, as well as people in my major who had great experiences in all different locations. Everyone loved parts of being abroad and had some big challenges too, so I knew what I was getting into!

I wanted to experience a culture outside of the U.S. that I hadn't had prior knowledge of before. I've also moved around throughout my childhood so having been at college for almost three years, I was longing for a new location and new experience. This was the perfect opportunity to continue my education and have the experiences of new people and new culture again. I had never been to Ireland before or been educated on the culture there so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to immerse myself in the actual community.